Friday, January 27, 2017

In the past, massages have been
considered indulgences and only for the wealthy, but not anymore. People have
learned that massages have a variety of benefits from the reduction of stress
to the loosening of tight muscles. At Heaven & Earth Day Spa, owner Maura
Malia employs 20 therapists whose jobs it is to make clients feel pampered and
relaxed.

Heaven & Earth is known for its
massage therapy.Be it deep tissue,
sports, pregnancy or therapeutic, everyone can find something to fit his or her
needs. There are therapists trained in oncology massage, which is a specialized
massage for those fighting cancer. They also offer reflexology and polarity.

“With relaxation or deep tissue, it
doesn’t have to beat you up to be effective,” said Malia. “More people are
taking care of themselves in better ways.” With the increase in education
around massage therapy, more people are seeking out this type of treatment as
an alternative to seeing a doctor or specialist.

“More competition is better for
education. The more education the more people are getting [massages],” said
Malia. Trends in massage therapy have changed over the last 10 years, Malia
said. Ten years ago, only people with disposable incomes were getting massages.
Now it is considered more like a necessary treatment.

Reflexology has also increased in
popularity to where it is almost as popular as massage, Maila said. “Reflexology
is the application of appropriate pressure to specific points and areas on
the feet, hands or ears. Reflexologists believe that these reflex points
correspond to different body organs and systems, and that pressing them has a
beneficial effect on the person's health,” according to the University of
Minnesota.

Heaven & Earth also offers facials,
manicures, spa pedicures, nail art and waxing.A new full spectrum, infrared, detoxing sauna is being installed to help
with various ailments. It has shown to help assist your body in ridding itself
of deeply imbedded toxins. There will be a tablet in the sauna to give the user
the option of listening to music, watching a movie or checking Facebook.

“Our employees are what make Heaven
& Earth what it is. We create a soothing and compassionate place,” Malia
said.

The massage therapists listen to their
clients and over the course of the appointments, they get to

know the clients.
Clients don’t feel like they are rushed and when an hour massage is scheduled,
they receive a full hour on the table.

“There is nothing truly like Heaven
& Earth around here. We have a more homey-feel, less clinical,” Malia said.

Most of the Heaven & Earth clients
are women, but more men are scheduling appointments every day. They also have a
number of children who are clients. In many cases, time and money are barriers
to getting treatments. Heaven & Earth offers gift cards, and many clients
ask for services for birthdays, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Couples massages
are very popular for anniversary and Valentine’s gifts.

For seven years, Heaven & Earth has
been offering a membership plan where once a month members receive a core
service of their choice, from massage and reiki, to a facial or spa pedicure.
Members also receive: An additional 20 percent off all other services/10 percent
off retail products /10 percent of gift certificates, all for $67.95 per month.
They have had members who have been coming regularly for six or seven years.

“Most people get their gym memberships
and don’t go. No one gets their massage membership and doesn’t go,” said Malia.

One more benefit to massage therapy is
that, “Human touch is so important. Just being touched by someone regularly is
so good,” she added.

Heaven & Earth is always looking for
new massage therapists to staff their seven day a week schedule. The spa is
open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
on Sundays and Mondays.

Malia encourages everyone to get
massages at least once a week, but on average people get them once a month.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Friends of Dennis Brackley, New Gloucester and his grandson,
4-year-old Gavin Goad, recent victims to a tragic vehicle accident, are raising
funds to help with the family expenses. To donate money toward the
Brackley/Goad family funeral and medical bills, please visit the www.gofundme.com website set up in their
honor and memory:https://www.gofundme.com/brackley-family-angels

Across
the Sebago region there are thousands of camps that need attention year round,
be it spring cleanup and plantings or weekly turn over on a rental property.
Sandra Donnelly, owner of Camp Care, LLC, is the one to contact.

For
approximately five years, she started watching over camps in the winter doing
camp checks. “I started taking care of people’s
camps while they were not there,” Donnelly said.

In addition to shoveling decks and
paths, making sure the heat is turned on in the winter and doing general checks,
Camp Care has added regular housekeeping and post construction cleaning to its
repertoire.

“Before the house is sold to the new
owner, we clean ceiling to floor so they move into a nice clean house,” she
said. Locals can also take advantage of Camp Care’s team of housekeepers, among
many other services throughout the year.

When the company first opened it
employed only summer workers. Now Donnelly hires approximately 14 summer
employees and three stay on during the winter for regular housekeeping duties.
Donnelly will shovel paths for oil and gas as needed and can take care of snow
removal, from plowing to shoveling roofs. If her crew is too busy to get to it
right away, she can refer you to a network of local, reputable professionals.

Team Camp Care at your service

The clients Camp Care works with are
investment bankers, architects, and people from out of state like California,
Ohio, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. One woman rents to pay the taxes on her
camp. When Donnelly does the camp checks for her clients who are not in the
area, she sends them a picture of the camp to provide piece of mind.

Locals can take advantage of these
services too if they are leaving for a winter vacation. Whether it a week or a
month, Camp Care will check on your home in your absence and do things like
check the mail and water plants. Her slogan “We Care When You’re Not There” is
truly their mission.

“I’m trustworthy. I treat each
property as if it was my own. If I notice something off, they’re going to know
about it,” she added.

Camp Care opens and closes camps,
does weekly cleanings in homes from one to 16 beds. It also offers camp rentals
and rental management. There are three new rentals not booked for the summer on
Panther Pond, Sebago Lake basin or Long Lake for those interested. They won’t
last long. She has many other rentals on most of the other lakes in the area.

For those looking to rent their
camps, Donnelly said it’s not a decision for everyone. “I talk long and hard
first. It’s not for everyone. People will touch your stuff. Things will get
broken,” she said. One client who is now renting her property had to think
about it for two years before she was ready to rent.

Camp Care is preparing for spring.
“In May we will open camps, docks go in, lawns get raked, gardens tidied up if
needed. Inside we make beds, and wash a lot of dishes,” she said.

Camp Care is hiring for the summer
season. Donnelly is looking for people with OCD or those who consider
themselves neat freaks. She also is looking for people who don’t mind working
Thursday through Saturday. She likes to find people who are local.

This past year, Donnelly and her
family built a home in Windham. She plans to expand again offering the ability
to manage construction projects. She can help people from away find
contractors. “I can help them do the projects they want to get done, for
example steps, decks, or put in a full basement,” she said. Putting her clients
in touch with the right contractors, gives her the satisfaction that the
project is doing done correctly.

Most of the properties Camp Care
manages are on the water, but they don’t have to be. Camp Care takes care of
rentals and manages camps from Windham, Sebago, Gorham and Raymond, but
Donnelly doesn’t rule out other places on a case by case basis. Donnelly is
licensed and insured.

For more information on Camp Care,
call 207-712-2238. They can also be reached by email at Sandra@campcarellc.com,
visit www.campcarellc.com or on Facebook.

Friday, January 13, 2017

With a whole person approach to
medicine, doctors Richard Wilkins and Alan Bean treat patients at Raymond
RediCare with compassion and respect. At a time when insurance companies are
making doctors conform to their rules, doctors at Raymond RediCare have a
different model of primary care.

“At home, at work or at play we manage
most things very well,” said Wilkins. Raymond RediCare has state of the art
equipment, using technology to keep them in contact with specialists and to
give patients access to information 24-7.

“Technology has enabled us to sustain
cost effective value,” said Wilkins. In the office the doctors are able to do
x-rays, use an eye microscope, do laser treatments and simple casting.

“It’s been an amazing experience. It’s a
great place to practice medicine,” said Wilkins, who has run the practice since
August 2014, at 1278 Roosevelt Trail. The building used to be a bank, but was
converted into what it is today.

With the rural area model of medicine,
the work they do can save patients time and money.

“People love us because they can see us within
24 hours. Some patients never see their primary care doctor for acute issues,”
Bean said.

Raymond RediCare is both an urgent care
facility and a primary care office. The growth they have seen in the last two
years has been beyond their expectations, said Wilkins. He added that most of
the year the urgent care cases they see are established patients. In the
summer, they leave extra openings for those from out of the area that are
visiting for the summer or work at an area summer camp.

Dr. Bean has been with Raymond RediCare
for six months. “I had a patient tell me I was the first doctor who made him feel
listened to. We try to give each patient extra time, while being respectful of
the next appointment,” he said.

Dr. Bean embraces the “eclectic nature
of our business.” The two doctors complement one another’s skills, they said.
Their specialty together, is providing primary care and occupational medicine.

One of the secrets to their success is
the staff. “Our staff is remarkable, friendly, caring and capable. They are
predictable,” in their attitudes, said Bean. There are two x-ray technicians,
an LPN and two front desk/medical assistants on staff.

Not being affiliated with a particular
hospital gives the doctors an additional layer of flexibility when it comes to
the care of their patients. Each hospital in the region, from Central Maine
Medical Center to Maine Medical Center, has something they are better at than
another hospital. Some hospitals are geographically closer to where the
patients live and others are great health partners in the community.

With narrow band HMOs becoming an issue
in the field, patients can expect to have longer waits in healthcare delivery,
said Wilkins. He does not want the practice ruled by corporations. Patients who
see Wilkins and Bean can expect to have the appropriate amount of time spent on
their concerns and needs.

Preventive health care allows them to
“access preventive measures that will have an impact in the next 10 to 20
years.” The annual physical is really data gathering, said Wilkins. Raymond
RediCare doctors not only can show them the numbers, they can give the patients
opportunities and ways to improve their health.

“We engage them as partners in their own
health,” said Bean, who has worked as an emergency room doctor as well as an
occupational and urgent care doctor.

“It’s given me a whole new lease on
medicine,” he added.

“People look at RediCare and they’re not
sure what that is. It is premium care with a personal touch. We provide an
expanded medical home in a rural area,” said Wilkins.

Raymond RediCare has a goal to be cost
effective for uninsured patients as well as accepting most insurances.

“We will continue to evolve to meet the
demands of the area,” Wilkins said.

For more about Raymond RediCare, visit
them on Facebook and existing patients can use the Patient Portal. To schedule
an appointment, call 655-6181.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Todd Crawford has a passion for justice
and serving others. Through his law practice on Route 302 in Raymond, Crawford
helps his clients with estate planning, family law and criminal law cases. He
believes in getting all of the facts and informing his clients of the process
they will face with their cases, whether the case is over custody or an alleged
criminal offense.

Todd H. Crawford, Jr., P.A

Crawford spent 28 years in the military
split between the Navy submarine force and the Army National Guard. He received
his law degree in 1997 and has practiced at various firms over the years until
he had to step away because of his commitment to the military. Three years ago,
he decided to retire from the military and re-open his practice.

“I had to retire so I could open my
practice to get back to what I love to do,” he said. “I love being able to
provide a service to people. I’m passionate about the law and passionate about
justice.”

He was driven to be a lawyer by a need
to oversee the justice system. The first part of his job is to explain to
clients what’s going to happen, what the process will be. In a criminal case,
it’s his job to protect his client’s rights.

Crawford’s father was an attorney.
Crawford spent his youth doing some filing for his dad’s practice and he’d hear
him talking on the phone being kind to people, helping them. It was then he
knew he wanted to be in a position that he could help people. Through his
practice, he forms a connection with people then provides them with a service.

Crawford does a lot of landlord/tenant
issues, criminal and family law, wills, powers of attorney, business formations
and non-profit paperwork. He also does a lot of court appointed work and child
protective work representing parents.

“Getting people through those bad times
is rewarding,” he said. He sees a lot of family problems stemming from drug
addiction. “It’s phenomenally devastating and painful to watch.”

He will meet people at locations that
are convenient to them. They can’t always get to his office so he’ll meet them
at Burger King on Forest Avenue in Portland for example.

Each case is evaluated on its own merits
and facts, Crawford said. “I don’t assume anyone is guilty. I don’t make that
assessment. I just look at the facts. Turn over the stones.”

He’d like to see more people who are
interested in doing estate planning, including wills and powers of attorney.
“They need to think of it when they’re young,” he said.

He’d also like to work with people
forming businesses.

“I love doing criminal law. It’s the
service side, helping someone who’s in trouble,” he said. He wanted to insure
that their rights and liberties are protected.

Additionally, he does divorces, child
support cases or post-divorce issues.

Crawford is fair and competitive in his
pricing. His work is more reasonable than going into Portland to a big firm, he
said.

Volunteering is also important to
Crawford. He works with the Volunteer Lawyer Program’s Courthouse Assistance
Programs (CHAP). Once a month he spends an afternoon in Portland providing free
law advice on family law issues. They are the most challenging interviews and
he loves it, he said. There are language barriers, cultural differences and he
works through all of those challenges to get the people the help they need.

He has been recognized by Katahdin
Council Recognition Program for his volunteer work in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He
also has a passion for working with veterans. He is on the board for Veterans
Count of Easter Seals of Maine. He has carried remembrance stones for two
soldiers he service with through The Summit Project and he works with Team
Rubicon, which fills in the gap between a natural disaster and when FEMA
arrives.

Crawford is married to a prosecutor in
Portland so he does not take juvenile cases in Cumberland County. He does do
other cases in Portland. He also goes to Bridgton, Oxford County, York County
and Augusta. He’ll travel anywhere in the area.

Administrative assistant Carolyn Helwig
has 27 years of experience in the Bridgton Courthouse. She is Crawford’s right
hand when it comes to fielding call and helping clients when he is with someone
else.